Reviews: medieval

Alchemie originally appeared on the now defunct label World Serpent in 1999. It was the fourth album for the American neo-medievalists The Soil Bleeds Black, a project centered around the Riddick brothers. Their label The Fossil Dungeon has now made this album available again, in a joint venture with Argentina’s Twilight Records. The second edition comes […]

Naomi Henderson and Nicholas Albanis are Dandelion Wine. “An Inexact Science” is the third release of them. It contains music they themselves describe as medieval ethereal, post-dreampop. A strange description for music, then again the Melbourne-duo might be right, let’s just have a listen.

To most people the sound of Corvus Corax will be clear. Their powerful medieval sound has made them famous beyond the gothic scene, where they were first picked up. This new cd is about a minstrel traveling in to the East in search for a legendary dancer called Sanyogita. The expectation is raised that the […]

Prikosnovénie has started a new series of releases for new talents called “Nové”. Artesia is the first band to release in this series. This young French duo delivers a tragical and dark sounding classic gothic album.

Caprice has already delivered several beautiful albums filled with wonderful poetic fairy world music. As the title suggests this new album is part three in the series of albums on which the music is inspired by faeries and elves and more concrete the poems of Tolkien.

The Moon and the Nightspirit, a duo from Hungary, creates ethereal music full of mystery and romance. On their debut album they offer nine purely acoustic songs with clear folkloristic and medieval elements.

Francesco Banchini is the musician behind GOR. With GOR he plays medieval orientated music. This new album, released under his own name, is a true Mediterranean folk album. Ciganko is a beautiful album with atmospheric and relaxing music. The clarinet and the German flute have a prominent role. These instruments produce wonderful melancholy sounds…

One of the best known medieval bands plays one of the best known pieces of medieval music: Corvus Corax takes on the Carmina Burana. After about twenty years of playing and fifteen albums, the medieval big band has the guts to step into the difficult world of a classical masterpiece. The first thing about this version that you will hear is the grotesque feeling and the bombastic character…

This is the third album by O Quam Tristis. I find it impressive to hear how the band improves with each album. Both musically and in song writing the band has grown a lot since the first album. What is the most remarkable about Méditations Ultimes is the use of atypical electronic rhythms in the music…

This is not the first album in honour of the influential group Dead Can Dance, and probably not the last. Cleopatra for instance released the tribute “Carnival Within” in 1997, with unlikely participants like Leaetherstrip. Last year the partly succeeded double cd “The Lotus Eaters” appeared on a Greek label, with both bands from the gothic and metal scene taking part…

Like Ars Ultima, Truppo Trotto is a crazy band playing medieval music. And like Ars Ultima they have a style of their own. Their music is unpolished and the songs have a very authentic feeling. You hear the organic sounds of fiddles, drums, bagpipes and many more traditional instruments. The Danish lyrics make their music complete and original…

Olen’k was one of the surprises on the Cold Meat Industry compilation cd Flowers Made Of Snow. The debut album of the band opens with ‘Season Of Tears’, the track that was featured on this compilation. Even after hearing this song many times it stays a magical track with a beautiful serene atmosphere. Despite its tranquil nature the song is powerful and very lively…